I'm going to Moorea for my second time this August. I absolutely love French Polynesia.

Last time I was there I didn't bother doing any fishing mainly because the dive operator I was with was constantly telling me how much he hated spear fisherman.

So, what's the scoop on fishing/spearing in Moorea? I hear that Fakarava is the diving island in FP. Can I get there from Moorea and if so how much?

Thanks!

Hello NIHILO..

We are operating from and in Fakarava atoll ..so you are welcome.
fakarava atoll is about 1h10 flight from Tahiti.
Air Tahiti flight cost 32 000 xpf way/return .it is around 400 $usd
from tahiti.there is 1 flight every day .

Fakarava atoll is now the best -last- destination for Scuba diving and for spearfishing.
It is a HUGH difference in between Moorea (were i ve lived nearly3 years )
and fakarava in the Tuamotus Archipelagos..
What you can see once by luck in a diving week you ll see 10 times a day every day in a larger sizes and in lot of numbers..
Except for the whales ..that do not show of often around here..
Here there is no troubles between scubas ans spearos..we are all friends
ans all happy to be here.
Fakarava atoll is now UNESCO natural reserve for some part of it ..
and it is a very different places than Moorea.

If you are interested in coming over here , please do not hesitate to contact me ..and even if not i can organize some spearfishing with some local spearos friends in moorea .they will bring you spearfishing over there for free..
but do not expect to land easyly numerous and big fishes ..in moorea/tahiti/bora..

Is offshore spearfishing in the lagoons allowed there?
Are the reg same as in france? (licence)
Wellknown that fish is deep (over 70feet) and rare in urban/ touristic areas...
(All the locals have been doing spearfishing for about 60/ 70 years)
An interesting video:http://www.ica.pf/articles.php?id=652
A paumoutou hunter pic in the thirties...(even then local freedivers used to hunt at over 70 feet depht!)

Is offshore spearfishing in the lagoons allowed there?
Are the reg same as in france? (licence)
Wellknown that fish is deep (over 70feet) and rare in urban/ touristic areas...
(All the locals have been doing spearfishing for about 60/ 70 years)
An interesting video:http://www.ica.pf/articles.php?id=652
A paumoutou hunter pic in the thirties...(even then local freedivers used to hunt at over 70 feet depht!)

VIRGILI...OFFSHORE and IN the lagoon ???means contrary for me ..

it is ..inside lagoon or
offshore = outside lagoon..so???

ANYHOW ..spearfishing is allowed everywhere except inside some few reserves as 2 little ones in tahiti and some very large ones in MOOREA known as PGEM...where you cant anchor a boat..as well..

it is true that in tahiti or moorea nice fish are often from 80 to 130 feet.
but could also be found in shallow waters in reef fishing..but rare and difficult.

This is why when tahitian team is travelling ,fishes from other country seems easy to catch for them.

About ``~PAUMAUTU~``hunters that is the local name for locals from ``Tuamotu Archipelagos``some few can dive deep but 98% are not even to day ..because they do not need .cause fishes are numerous , big, and in very shallow water ..

i have today a french fisherman that was surprise to catch this morning in 5 minutes 2 groupers with reel line fishing = surfcasting?? from the beach in front of my house.inside lagoon so it means in 3 feet deep.... then we went 300 yards away inside lagoon to the first big coral potatoes and he lost his lures !!!ha ha the fishes were too big ..
And he is a quite PRO in jigging/popping/igfa..traveling all around the world..

Then next days will go to the real fishing places..not in front my house..

About spearfishing EVERYONE is allowed to do spearfishing .no licence. no costs..
In fakarava Unesco RESERVE areas ..locals residents can do spearfishing if the purpose is to eat the fish and not a commercial purpose=selling the fishes.

Every where else it is open ..except we try not shooting the Maori wrasses and some others in the scubas areas..( Except for pelagics..)

but nobody goes to the reserve areas.. as it is too far away and nobody needs to go so far to catch fishes to eat...(save gas just spear fishes in front of yr house!!!)

only me some times ..
to look if some WRs are still swimming around ..and how big they grow ..in awaiting some one to spear them..hi hi..

i hope being helpful with those answers
Rgds marcoPS about the article in yr link ..regarding the movie from kerbali with world champion legend ``Mr Jean Tapu ``, the other spearfisherman in this movie is ~G~ my partner in fakarava.. spearfishing guide with me over here.

We are operating from and in Fakarava atoll ..so you are welcome.
fakarava atoll is about 1h10 flight from Tahiti.
Air Tahiti flight cost 32 000 xpf way/return .it is around 400 $usd
from tahiti.there is 1 flight every day .

Fakarava atoll is now the best -last- destination for Scuba diving and for spearfishing.
It is a HUGH difference in between Moorea (were i ve lived nearly3 years )
and fakarava in the Tuamotus Archipelagos..
What you can see once by luck in a diving week you ll see 10 times a day every day in a larger sizes and in lot of numbers..
Except for the whales ..that do not show of often around here..
Here there is no troubles between scubas ans spearos..we are all friends
ans all happy to be here.
Fakarava atoll is now UNESCO natural reserve for some part of it ..
and it is a very different places than Moorea.

If you are interested in coming over here , please do not hesitate to contact me ..and even if not i can organize some spearfishing with some local spearos friends in moorea .they will bring you spearfishing over there for free..
but do not expect to land easyly numerous and big fishes ..in moorea/tahiti/bora..

All z bests and Maeva ..

Hello Marco,

Fakarava sounds great but I may not be able to fit it in. I plan to dive 10 dives so I may not have enough funds left to buy a ticket to Fakarava and afford the billfish spearing you guide.

I'm going to stay at the Pearl resort on Moorea. Last time I stayed there in one of the overwater bungalows and saw a bunch of fish in the reef below me. Most of the takeable fish I saw on my last trip were groupers and one HUGE trevally/amberjack.

Do you know if the area around the Pearl and Intercontinental is open to spearfishing? Cooks bay and Opanahu (sp?) are probably off limits, right?

Which fishing operations off Moorea do you reccomend? Is there any decent fishing or should I just stick to diving Moorea?

Fakarava sounds great but I may not be able to fit it in. I plan to dive 10 dives so I may not have enough funds left to buy a ticket to Fakarava and afford the billfish spearing you guide.

I'm going to stay at the Pearl resort on Moorea. Last time I stayed there in one of the overwater bungalows and saw a bunch of fish in the reef below me. Most of the takeable fish I saw on my last trip were groupers and one HUGE trevally/amberjack.

Do you know if the area around the Pearl and Intercontinental is open to spearfishing? Cooks bay and Opanahu (sp?) are probably off limits, right?

Which fishing operations off Moorea do you reccomend? Is there any decent fishing or should I just stick to diving Moorea?

Thanks a lot & hope to see you in Tahiti!

Hello in fact i should be in tahiti and moorea from17th august for 1 week.but for medical exams .but i might get a day or 2 in moorea to go spearing with friends there so if you are around you are welcome..
anyhow when you ll be there give me a call at 707 708.and i ll see whats possible with friends..ar all locals very good spearos..
are many wellknown competitors living in moorea..
Cooks bay and hopunohu are closed areas.~PGEM~
you can go in front yr hotel in maharepa pass but do not dream to land lots of fishes..and i don t think they like to see you spearing under the hotel bungalows !!!

may be next time you can think of coming directly over here because;
there is 1 hotel and many nice lodges that are really less expensive than moorea hotels..
and what you can save on hotel rates will be more than the plane cost from tahiti to here..
Also the scuba diving here are WAY better than in moorea..we are having 3 clubs ..Te ava nui ...top dive ...fakarava diving center..
where you can also buy a 10 dives package..